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2009 Annual Forum
View Abstract
Building a Low-Error Public Transportation System
Patrick David O'Neil, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Aviation Institute, poneil@unomaha.edu
High Reliability Organizational (HRO) research has revealed that some organizations and systems are capable of using high-risk technologies to routinely conduct complex operations with little or no error. A 76-year longitudinal case study of the evolution of error-intolerance of the FAA's air traffic control services resulted in the formulation of a set of specific structural and behavioral actions that, if implemented, promise to achieve high reliability and safe operations within transportation systems. A conceptual systems model has been constructed to demonstrate how legislative oversight, agency regulatory programs, and industry operations combine into a highly redundant and effective structure. A scale has been created for measuring and improving performance at the policy and organizational levels of government and at operational transportation levels. It is proposed that adoption of this model will deliver quantifiable improvement in both service provision and safety of public and private transportation networks.
